Last Updated on February 23, 2023
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act in a bipartisan manner. The bill passed with the support of 224 Democrats and 140 Republicans.
The High Skilled Immigrants Act was introduced earlier in 2019 by Rep. Zoe Lofgren. If signed into law, it would eliminate annual per-country cap on green cards, which is currently 7%.
By eliminating the per-country cap, the green card system would create a first-come, first-served green card system, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Such a change would potentially benefit foreign nationals from large countries such as India and China, who often face the longest wait times for green cards.
“We are happy to see bipartisan recognition and support for legislation attempting to modernize our immigration system,” said Richard Burke, CEO of Envoy Global. “HR teams have long said they want to reduce the long wait times foreign national talent from certain countries face.”
The Importance of Green Cards
Companies in Silicon Valley and other parts of the country often utilize green card sponsorship as part of their immigration-related perk packages. In Envoy Global’s 2019 Immigration Trends Report, 66% of companies offer green card sponsorship.
Next Up
The bill still needs to pass the Republican-majority Senate before reaching President Trump’s desk for his signature. Subscribe to Envoy’s blog to receive the latest updates regarding this bill and future policy proposals.
Envoy is pleased to provide you this information, which was prepared in collaboration with Ryan Bay, who is a Partner at Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (www.giafirm.com), Envoy’s affiliated law firm.
